Proposal Draft

• Project Director/Principal Investigator.
• Grant Officer.
• Department chair/unit head.
• Academic Dean or Vice President.

If Applicable:

• • Facilities Management for proposals requiring space renovations or construction.
  • Chief Information Technology Officer for proposals including the purchase, installation, or maintenance of software or technology.
  • Risk Management for proposals involving the use of lasers, radiation, or drones.
  • Vice President of Finance and Administration.
  • Vice Provost for proposals including a Graduate Assistant.

• Authorized Institutional Representative: The University President, or designee, is the authorized institutional representative for Western.  The endorsement and signature of the President, or appropriate vice president, is necessary on every outgoing grant proposal for research or funding.

• Updated Budget
• Research Involving Human Subjects or Animals: If the proposed project involves human subjects or the use of vertebrate animals, the protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research (CUHSR) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before the proposal can be submitted for administrative endorsements.  Many federal grants also now require that any students paid for by the grant receive training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).  Be sure to plan the proposal writing process so that the appropriate committee has sufficient time to schedule a meeting to review your proposal. See https://www.missouriwestern.edu/humansubsresearch/ or https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home for further details.
• IRB Approval if necessary.
• Responsible Conduct of Research Training Form signed.

Conflicting Rules

Sometimes institutional policy, granting agency policy, the terms of our grant contract, OMB rules, and federal legislation may conflict. In that case, the “highest power” wins. That is, OMB rules overrule anything that may be in your grant agreement.

In all cases, the most conservative rule applies. For example, if the federal mileage reimbursement rate is .51, however, MWSU allows only.31, then reimbursement will be at .31.

If a cost is allowed by OMB, but Western policy does not allow it, or does not see it as reasonable, then it is not allowable to be charged to a grant.

In all cases where it is unclear, the Grants Officer reserves the right to make the final decision – which will be based on the most conservative interpretation possible.

Faculty and staff are expected to adhere to the institutional policies in regard to copyright laws and copyrightable work. This expectation applies to generating project proposals for funding, the reporting of project data, and the preparation of manuscripts for possible publication. These policies are explained in detail in the Western Policy Guide.

If the proposed project involves human subjects or the use of vertebrate animals, the protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research (CUHSR) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before the proposal can be submitted for administrative endorsements.  Many federal grants also now require that any students paid for by the grant receive training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Be sure to plan the proposal writing process so that the appropriate committee has sufficient time to schedule a meeting to review your proposal. See http://www.missouriwestern.edu/orgs/human_subs/ or https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home for further details.